Thursday, June 30, 2011

Anyone who's read The Hebrew Republic, or who has seen my lecture on the book, will remember my dear friends Chanan and Esther Shiloh from Kfar Yehoshua, the couple with whom I stayed when I was a young volunteer in 1967, and whose sensibilities in many ways inspired my writing all these years. I just dropped off my car with them, as I do every summer, when Sidra and I leave for New Hampshire, as we will tonight; the ostensible reason is to keep the car under a secure roof; the actual reason is the chance to be reminded why I came here in the first place.

Chanan and Esther are the soul of the Zionist revolution: curious about how things work, from the smallest weld to the arguable claims for God; full of loving humor and patriotic pride (and shame); certain of the value of their Hebrew lives, which their parents invented. And even at age 78, they are still opening to the future. The roof under which my car will be locked now produces 50 kilowatts of power owing to the solar panels Chanan just helped assemble. The investment of over a million shekels will break even in about ten years, and Chanan isn't at all sure he will live to see this. But he is already concerned about the problems of recycling the panels when their useful life is over. Then again, what other kind of life is there, even if you can't know how things will turn out? Here is a song they love, about a dove that flies high above the hills of Gilboa, on a very long journey.

Praise for The Hebrew Republic

"Inspired and highly informative: a stunningly fresh narrative of a century old conflict."

Amos Elon, Author of The Pity of it All, Herzl, and The Israelis

“Avishai’s book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only the genuine complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also the real prospects for a sane and peaceful outcome."

Dov Frohman, Founding CEO, Intel-Israel

"During the past two decades, Professor Bernard Avishai has emerged as one of the most eloquent and penetrating analysts of the Israeli scene: of its politics, international relations, religious confrontations, and social fabric; of its national triumphs and failures; of its collective hopes and looming perils. This volume can only add to Avishai's reputation. The Hebrew Republic is indispensable reading even for veteran students of the Jewish State."

Prof. Howard M. Sachar, author of A History of Israel

"If justice and reason still count for anything, "The Hebrew Republic" will profoundly change the Middle East conversation, both here and in Israel. If the notions of a Jewish state and a democratic society sit uneasily together -- if they are, in some sense, thesis and antithesis -- then Bernard Avishai has brilliantly deliniated the indispensable synthesis. This is an exciting and supremely important book."

Hendrik Hertzberg, Senior Editor and Staff Writer, The New Yorker

“Anyone who cares about Israel, the Palestinians, or peace should read The Hebrew Republic—a comprehensive analysis, a compelling vision, a wrenching cri de coeur. Of all the brilliant, brave voices heard here—and there are many—none is as indispensable as Avishai’s, with this book, has now become.”

James Carroll, Author of Constantine’s Sword and House of War

“Bernard Avishai offers a fascinating solution to Israel's existential dilemma: the choice between an ethno-national state, which discriminates against its many non-Jewish citizens, or a binational state that loses its Jewish nature. The book scrutinizes the flaws of Israeli democracy, but is written with a deep love, and provides an upbeat and highly original analysis of the potential of Israel’s new economy. It is a must for anybody who wants to understand today's Israel.”

Prof. Yoram Peri, Head of the Rothschild Caesarea School of Communication, Tel Aviv University, Author of Generals in the Cabinet Room

"The central issue in bringing about peace in the Middle East is whether Israel and the Israelis can find their place in the region where they have carved out their homeland in a manner that is acceptable to others in the region, within and beyond their borders. Bernard Avishai confronts Israelis with the fundamental questions, which only they can answer, and which they cannot indefinitely turn their backs on, about who and what they are. It is hard to imagine clever third-party efforts succeeding as long as these questions remain unanswered. He has made a lucid contribution to solving one of the great problems of our time.”

Amb. Alvaro de Soto, Former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process